Kings Take Smythe By Surprise

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — On a semi-starless night in Los Angeles Thursday, one of the more interesting debates took place at The Forum.

The Kings played the Pittsburgh Penguins and the question on many minds was, which team was better? The Penguins without Mario Lemieux in the lineup or the Kings without Wayne Gretzky?

Neither played. Lemieux, the best player in the league today, missed his first game this season because of a heel injury. Gretzky, the best in NHL history, has been out this season with a herniated thoracic disk in his back.

It was the Kings who won the debate and their 11th consecutive at home. They beat the Penguins, 5-3.

Although the Penguins still hold a one-point lead in the standings, the Kings, who hosted the Whalers at The Forum Saturday night, technically were the best in the league so far.

They were 18-72 before the game with the Whalers, having played one fewer game than the Penguins (18-7-3).

The Penguins, who have won consecutive Stanley Cups, were expected to be this good. The Kings, even with Gretzky, weren't expected to be anywhere near the top.

With their aging talent, many figured they would have a hard time matching their 35-31-14 record last season.

Without Gretzky? The prevailing opinion was the Kings would finish fifth in the Smythe Division and miss the playoffs.

"One guy in The Boston Globe, [Kevin Paul] Dupont, picked us to be right down with San Jose. We've got that up in our dressing room and a few other quotes. We love that stuff." Melrose, a first-year coach hired to replace Tom Webster, is proving he's as good a motivator as there is in the league.

That apparently was one of Webster's failings. Although, to be fair, he was the coach when the Kings were 46-24-10 and won the Smythe in the 1990-91 season.

But there were whispers that Webster, who played for the New England and Hartford Whalers in the World Hockey Association, couldn't handle the pressure.

He occasionally would leave the bench late in close games and head to the locker room.

"The pressure was getting to him," Kings wing Tony Granato said. "He needed a change. Last year was hard on him. The best thing for him was to do something else."

Webster was fired after last season. Melrose, who had led the Adirondack Red Wings to the Calder Cup in the American Hockey League, was hired.

What Melrose also did was move Jari Kurri, a left wing, to center to replace Gretzky. Kurri had centered a line with Tomas Sandstrom and Robitaille until Sandstrom's forearm was broken by Toronto's Doug Gilmour Nov. 21.

Kurri, 32, who was considered washed up last season when he had a career-low 23 goals and 60 points, has 16 goals and a team-high 47 points in 27 games this season.

The Kings might have been forced to make a major trade for a No. 1 center had Kurri not played well.

"Right now, he's my vote for league MVP," Melrose said.

He's obviously biased. Lemieux, with 68 points in 27 games, appears a lock for the award at this point. But considering Kurri's play, and the surprising performance of the Kings so far, Melrose has a point.

Melrose, who has put in an attacking style of offense that has led to 123 goals -- second to Pittsburgh's 124 -- also has overseen a move toward youth on a team that was among the oldest in the league.

Rookie defensemen Alexei Zhitnik and Darryl Sydor are regulars in the lineup. Goalie Robb Stauber, who was 7-01 going into the game Saturday, is also a rookie.

Mix them with talented veterans such as defenseman Paul Coffey, Kurri, Robitaille, Granato and goalie Kelly Hrudey, and the Kings have a pretty good team.

Even without Gretzky.

"We had an excuse to go in the tank," said Granato, who plays on a scoring line with Corey Millen and Mike Donnelly. "Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, Barry said, `Look at the young kids, look at the team we've got. Look around the locker room. Look around and see who's sitting next to you.' "I know this is not a fluke."

Gretzky, meanwhile, is talking about returning sometime in March. Now the question is, can he make the lineup?